


Leather Pants Day

by Phantoms_Echo



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Al took a day-trip to hell, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Canon Typical Violence, Canon typical blood, Ed's a demon, Ed's leather pants, M/M, Roy's an angel, Teacher doesn't care, That's messed up, That's more messed up, is that a thing?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 11:21:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8399731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantoms_Echo/pseuds/Phantoms_Echo
Summary: “E-Excuse me?” a hesitant voice put a temporary halt to Ed’s mental coffee conference and caused the blonde to look up. 
Well, hello, cutie! Ed’s mind supplied.
The blonde behind the counter thanked his boss that it was leather pants day. Just leather pants day.
Immediately, Ed sat up with a wolfish grin. Leaning ever so provocatively across the counter, he looked up from under his blonde lashes and asked, “What are you in for?”





	

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own FullMetal Alchemist or its characters. I do, however, own the idea of this world and laws of it. So please don't steal it... unless you accredit me... or draw me a picture. :)
> 
> So, the title is kind of a wash, I couldn't think of anything better. Anyone have any suggestions, feel free to... suggest them?

The space before the windowed counter tops was abuzz with people standing not-so-patiently in lines. Several were tapping their feet, others constantly checking watches that never ticked forward. Some tried to straighten their forever mangled clothes, most didn't care.

Behind the counter was a different story.

A long-haired blonde lay sprawled on top of his counter. It was only 8:05 am, and Ed was already staring mournfully at his third empty cup of coffee. He didn’t have a break for at least a good twenty minutes, but the blonde was sure he wouldn’t survive that long. The tan, chipped mug had barely a drop left in the bottom.

Ed was seriously debating on whether to pawn his counter shift off onto a newbie or to ask one of the kiss-ups to grab him a new mug from the break room, when his inner court case was put on hold.

“E-Excuse me?” a hesitant voice put a temporary halt to Ed’s mental coffee conference and caused the blonde to look up. In the ten seconds (okay, _fifteen_ ) that it took him to contemplate the benefits of coffee versus interacting with sniveling wannabes, a line had formed in front of his window.

_Well, hello, cutie!_ Ed’s mind supplied.

The first one in line, it seemed, was a young, teenaged boy with short blonde hair and light brown eyes. He still had that air of innocence about him that most humans just weren’t able to keep past age five.

The blonde behind the counter thanked his boss that it was leather pants day. _Just_ leather pants day.

Immediately, Ed sat up with a wolfish grin. Leaning ever so provocatively across the counter, he looked up from under his blonde lashes and asked, “What are you in for?”

The effect was _exactly_ what Ed was looking for. The boy blushed brightly, like his cheeks had decided to spontaneously combust. The human sputtered and clutched his school bag to him, as if to protect himself from Ed’s advances while his eyes darted around, looking for help.

Wait a minute, those weren’t brown, they were _gold_!

Dangit, there went Ed’s fun.

The blonde slumped down in his seat in disappointment. “Kid, you’re in the wrong place.”

“W-what?” the boy was still clutching his bag to his chest, but he seemed to relax once Ed backed off.

“You’re eyes.” Ed pointed to his own blood red ones. “They’re gold.”

“Um…?” the boy frowned, confusion written across his features.

“Here,” Ed pulled a mirror out of his drawer and offered it to the boy. “Eyes like those mean that you’re destined for angel-dom.”

The boy didn’t take the mirror, but he did cast a glance at his features, just long enough to see what Ed was talking about. Drawing away with a frown, the other blonde asked, “Then how did I…?”

“My guess is that you did something really stupid right before you died.” Ed sighed. Damn, he was hoping that he could have kept this one for himself –at least, for a while. “Let’s just look at your digital log. Name?”

“Alphonse Elric.” The boy replied. Something niggled at Ed’s hind brain, but the name brought nothing to mind, so he ignored it.

“Hmm… Ah! Here we go!” the blonde behind the counter said, turning his computer around to the human. On the screen, footage from a security camera showed the other blonde stealing a candy-bar (priced at two dollars and really only worth one) and running out of a gas station. Outside, he ran in front of a newly-gassed car and promptly became road-kill.

“Man, you have one of the most embarrassing deaths I have ever seen. The car wasn’t even going that fast!” Ed snorted, turning the computer back around to favorite the page. He’d probably watch it again on his break. After all, he took joy in the pains of others. “Although, it’s nowhere near bad enough to end up on The Wall, so you don’t have to worry about everyone seeing it.”

“T-The Wall?” the human asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“Something that keeps us entertained on breaks.” Ed summarized with a flip of his hand. “Not important since you won’t be staying.”

“I-I won’t?” the boy seemed surprise, but then again, every human did.

“Nah, you pay your penance and you’re free to go on to the next life.” Ed said, clicking through the human’s info sheet. “In your case, angel-dom, like I said before. The next ship out leaves in about ten minutes, so if you’ll just stab yourself with this pen here, we can get you started at Out-Process-”

“No!” The kid shouted, causing Ed to cut himself off with a surprised look to the human. The boy blushed at his outburst, but the look on his face made it obvious that he wasn’t about to change his mind.

Ed sighed and scratched an itch behind his horns. They weren’t as long as other demons, but he was also one of the newer devils, so they still had some growing to do (No, he wasn’t _defective_ , _Ling!_ )

“Look, kid.” Ed started, about to go into the lecture that every human had to get down here. Either they hurt themselves and served their penance, or the demons would do it for them. There wasn’t a way of getting around it, not if they wanted to get on with their next life.

“I can’t leave!” the human interrupted him again, determined look on his face.

Ed blinked and frowned, “Why not?”

“I…” the other blonde looked confused before realization dawned on him. “I’m looking for someone!”

“I’m pretty sure you just made that up on the spot.” Ed stated, raising an unimpressed eyebrow.

“No, I’m looking for…” the angel fledgling seemed to struggle, pushing the knuckles of one hand to his temple. His mouth opened and closed a few times before it caught, “-my brother! I’m looking for my brother!”

_A family member?_ Ed frowned and scanned through the human’s information again, but –nope, still no brother. Only child, born to a father who died after he was born and a mother that raised him until she died of cancer when he became eighteen. “You want to try again?”

“I mean, he wasn’t my _actual_ brother.” The boy said, looking a little confused, “But we might as well have been!”

Ed rolled his eyes and turned back to his computer. “I can check for him in the database. Name?”

“Um…I don’t…” the boy frowned, “I don’t remember.”

“Hair color?” Ed asked instead, “Eye color? Height? Weight? Allergies?”

The human shook his head at every question, looking more and more lost.

“Are you _sure_ you’re looking for your brother?” Ed asked, shooting the human a disbelieving look.

“Yes! I’m sure!” the fledgling insisted, face growing determined again. “I am looking for my brother!”

“How are you supposed to find him if you don’t remember his name?” Ed asked pointedly, “Or what he looks like?”

“I…” the human frowned, but didn’t let up. “I’ll know him when I see him!”

_Oh great._ Ed sighed dramatically, _one of **those** cases._

“Look, I’m sure you’ll find each other in the next life.” Ed offered the boy a convenient pen. “Most tied souls find each other even after reincarnation. If he means this much to you- that you’d remember him after death, you’re probably closely tied. Besides, what’s to say he isn’t already up in the happy place waiting on you?” the blonde wiggled the pen.

The boy looked at the pen, then back at Edward. “I… I think something happened to him.” The kid said quietly, “To make him… come down here.”

Ed made the pen do a jig.

“It wasn’t his fault.” The kid stated more urgently. “He doesn’t deserve to be down here! I won’t leave until I find him!”

“Urgh!” Ed dug his fingers through his hair in agitation before finally throwing his hands up in surrender, “Fine. _Fine!_ You want to stay down here and wait on this guy? Be my guest! But the second your angel mentor notices you aren’t on the train out of here, I am handing you over, got it?”

“Angel mentor?”

“The angel that teaches the younger angels all the fancy-shmancy stuff.” Ed said, taking a _Be Back Later_ sign and putting it on his window. “They are scary motherfuckers. Do _not_ cross one – _especially_ if they are working with their fledgling.”

“I-I’ll keep that in mind.” The other blonde said, more sedate. “Where are you going?”

“To the break room.” Ed stated as he ducked down a hallway, careful to keep his steps spaced just far enough apart that the kid had to struggle to keep up. “I have to find a temp while I show you around.”

“Y-You don’t have to-!”

“Kid, if you go wandering this place by yourself, you will end up as chopped liver –and not as a figure of speech.”

The boy choked off with a horrified face.

The demon peered into the break room, eyeing the coffee pot mournfully before spotting a familiar face.

“Hey, Teacher!” Ed called, waving to his mentor. “This human doesn’t want to leave just yet so I’m showing him around. Cover for me?”

The dark-haired woman looked up, half a bagel dangling from her mouth. She squinted at the two. “…the hell? What’s a kid like him want to stay in Hell for?”

“Hell if I know.” Ed answered, snickering. He just loved making fun of this place as much as the next demon, him and Teacher both. “Says he’s got someone he’s lookin’ for, but can’t remember who.”

“Ah,” Teacher made a discerning noise, her thin tail coming up to curl around her waist. “One of _those_ cases.”

“Excuse me? Those?” the fledgling piped up, but the two demons ignored him.

“I figure the fastest way to get him through is to take him to the Database.” Edward shrugged. “You cool with watching my counter?”

Teacher scowled, “Fine, but you _owe_ me, Ed. I want _at least_ a year added!”

“Ugh!” Ed huffed, “Fine.”

Teacher grinned like a feral thing before taking off back the way the two blondes had come.

“A year to what?” the human asked as the two started in the other direction.

“Indentured servitude.” Ed replied. “We don’t get paid down here, so the best next thing we have are favors and servitude.”

“A _year_?” the boy paled. “That’s so _long_!”

“Eh, not so much.” Ed said, scratching at his horns again. They had been sensitive today, probably growing (Take _that_ , Ling!). “I mean, we’re all pretty much immortal down here, so it’s little more than a drop in the bucket.”

“I…” the kid looked flabbergasted.

“Trust me.” Ed rolled his eyes as he guided the two down a different corridor, “I’m sure angels have a similar system in place up there. You’ll get used to it as you go on.”

“Do you talk with a lot of angels?” the fledgling asked. He still had his school bag on him, as if he’d forgotten to leave it behind with his body. Some humans were like that, trying to take possessions with them to the next life. They never lasted long, those worldly items. They just didn’t mesh well with the spiritual plane and typically faded into nothingness before long.

“Nah.” Ed shrugged as he took them on a detour around the public whipping post for the floor. He didn’t think the kid needed to see the hellish side of hell if he was just waiting on a heavenly escort to leave. That and his penance. “Angels and demons are mostly separate. They do what they want up there and they leave us alone to do as we please down here. There’s a system in place, checks and balances, to make sure that we never cross a line. If we do, it’s curtains for us.”

“That… sounds harsh.” The human frowned, like he actually thought killing a demon was a _crime_. Ed scoffed.

“If you’re so hung up about it, let’s get a move on.” The demon hurried him into a room. “As a fledgling, you aren’t supposed to be down here for more than it takes to out-process you and put you on that train. The fact that I’m letting you stay is already a _huge_ violation of rules!”

“Is it?” the blonde human asked, eyes going wide. “Are you going to get in trouble?!”

“Not if you hurry up and _find_ this guy and get on your merry way.” Ed hissed, pausing to give the kid a hopeful look, “Unless of course, you’re willing to stab yourself and leave this all behind? It’s supposed to be stabbing the limb that stole, but I’d be willing to look the other way if it’s your happy-time hand.”

The boy flushed but shook his head sternly. “I need to find my brother.”

Ed sighed and closed the door behind them. As soon as it was closed, the room lit up with a holographic display in front of a large console.

“Wow…” the human breathed.

“Yeah, yeah, awe-inspiring piece of machinery, _ooh I’m a human, pretty pretty, shiny shiny_ –we don’t have time to fuck around.” Ed snapped, plopping himself into the sole chair. “Name?”

“Again? Alphonse Elric.”

 “How long ago did your brother die?”

“Um…” The boy scratched at his head. “I don’t…?”

“Vaguely.” Ed opened a find tab and reiterated. “Like, does it feel recent or long ago?”

“I… both?” the kid asked, twisting the edges of his sleeves together.

Ed gave him a flat look. “You are _not_ helpful.”

The human flushed and scowled.

“I’m starting it from five years ago.” Ed decided, typing commands into the find tab, “You humans don’t tend to remember people very well after about five years, so-!”

“No, it’s further back than that.” The teen answered.

Ed paused mid word to look up at the human. “Ten years?”

“Mm…” the human shook his head, eyes tracking the screen. “Further.”

“Fifteen?” Ed asked, eyebrows furrowing. “We can’t go much further past that. Your human memories don’t track that far-!”

“Further.” The kid stated, reaching for the console. Ed batted his hands away, but his mind was racing. Further than fifteen years? The human was only what, eighteen? Nineteen? He was still in school! Granted it was college, but still! That far back, he wouldn’t be remembering humans that had died recently but rather…

_His previous life_.

Ed inhaled sharply as the thought occurred to him.

“Hey, this brother you’re looking for.” Ed hesitated. “Did you ever meet him before you died?”

“Um…” the boy looked genuinely perplexed. “I don’t think so.”

_Shit_! That meant this brother of his could be anyone, any _where_. There’s no _way_ Ed would be able to find him without a description or _something -!_

Just then, the sirens went off.

“W-what’s going on?” The human cowered back, hands clapping over his ears.

_Double shit!_ Ed thought hysterically as the old landline phone on the console rang, adding to the shrill whistleblowing the air. He snatched it up, shoving it between his jaw and shoulder as he scrambled through the database, trying to pull up a list of souls from the human's past lives.

“ _Ed! We have a-!”_

“I know, I know!” Ed hissed as he slammed the enter key down and watched the loading bar start up. “I’ve got the kid with me in the Database room! Hold 'em off until-!”

“ _Hold them off?! Are you crazy?!” _Teacher shrieked in his ear. “ _This is an angel, Ed! Not just any angel, it's an avenging one! It’s -shit!”_

“Teacher?” Ed called into the phone. The loading bar was only at twenty percent.

“ _Shit, it’s Roy!”_

“What the hell is _Roy?!”_ Ed demanded, but there was no answer. “Teacher!”

The dial tone sounded.

_Triple shit!_

“W-what’s going on?!” The human’s voice shook. “Is she okay?”

“This is all _your fault!”_ Ed shouted as he spun his desk over to a second console. Fingers flying over the keyboard, he ran protocols to shut down hallways and lock down doors, forcing the avenging angel to travel down a single linear path with only one destination. At least this way, Ed would be the only casualty.

He hoped.

“ _My fault_?” The human squeaked, looking flustered. “How is this _my_ fault?!”

“You just _had_ to stick around to find this brother of yours!” Ed snarled, glancing at the loading bar to find it at seventy-five percent. “If you had just played along and _stabbed yourself like a good human,_ we wouldn't be in this mess! Now, we’ve got an avenging angel on a rampage because his little _fledgling_ didn't want to _follow the rules!_ ”

“You say that like I had a choice!” Said fledgling shouted back, face going red in anger as the alarm continued to blare. “I only had one shot at this! I only had one chance to find him! I couldn't just _leave_!”

“You’re human! Angel! _Whatever!”_ Ed’s fingers slammed down onto keys as he quickly compiled the files, shockingly many for a boy as young as –the demon looked up at the screen –Alphonse Elric. Ed would have thought this was his first cycle, not his 100th. “You could have petitioned for a brief human life and returned to hell to look for him! It's just a simple form!”

“It’s a hundred pages long, _thank you very much!_ ” The human growled, eyes alight with a righteous fury. “And you can only full it out once a _century!_ ”

The human was panting after his little outburst, still fuming, but Ed was frozen in shock.

“You…” the blonde finally unfroze enough to speak, turning confused crimson orbs onto the human before him. “You were a-?”

A polite knock on the door interrupted them just as the sirens cut off. Ed scrambled out of his seat and into the adjacent corner behind the door. His hands shook as he motioned for the human to open it. No sane demon would be knocking on doors at a time like this. That left only one other option.

The human's eyes widened, “Are you _crazy_?!”

“If I open the door,” Ed whispered through his teeth, “I stand a fair chance of being killed! You, on the other hand, will get a firm talking to – _at best_.”

The look on the human’s face made sure Ed knew which one he thought was worse and the demon almost laughed. Almost.

Swallowing thickly, the human reached for the door and pulled it open, lock having been left unlatched in Ed’s hasty protocols. The human had the nerve to politely ask, “Yes? Can I help you?”

Ed buried his face in his clawed hands. “Alphonse!” The being on the other side of the door exclaimed. “There you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“Umm…” the human took a few steps back as the door swung wider and the angel crowded in.

The angel was tall, taller than Ed at least, with unnaturally dark eyes and soft grey wings that he kept close to his body. The wings reminded Ed of the ash pits where those instigators of the Holocaust were constantly put through the same agony of their victims, only to be reborn from their own ash to relive it again.

They had a lot of penance to make up for.

“Thank you, Hawkeye.” The angel said, looking back at a blonde demoness that Ed had seen at the range a couple times. She always hit the targets’ hearts first try. Ed would have been in awe if he hadn't been so fearful of her –like piss-his-pants scared of her. The demon defended that he wasn’t the only one, far from it.

“Not a problem, Roy.” The blonde demoness answered, “But next time you come down, make sure to give us an advanced notice.”

“I would have this time, but… things got a little out of hand.” The angel replied, a disparaging look on his face. “Alphonse didn't get on the bus like he was supposed to, so I had to come get him.”

“I don’t…” The human frowned and tilted his head. “Do I know you?”

“Yes,” Roy sighed, looking very put upon. “You are my angel mentor and, I suspect once you get your memories back, you’ll feel very foolish for your behavior now.”

“Wait,” the human's eyebrows furrowed. “I’m _your_ mentor? Shouldn't it be the other way around?”

The angel, Roy, cocked his head to the side, “Why would you think that?”

“Because that’s what… what he said.” The human replied a little uncertain.

“He?” Roy asked, eyes squinting at his not-charge.

“The demon that’s helping me.” The boy said, eyes sliding over to Ed. The demon stiffened before cautiously creeping out from the corner. Roy didn't look particularly vengeful at the moment, so Ed might be safe?

“You’re new.” Roy said with a confidence that left Ed a little bereft.

“He appeared shortly after you left.” Hawkeye stated, not nothing to look up from a file she had on hand. “If you’ll excuse me, _someone_ has to get some work done around here.”

With that, she turned on her heel and stalked away.

“Helping you?” Roy frowned at the angel fledgling, “Whatever could he _possibly_ be able to help you with?”

“I’m looking for someone.” The kid said defensively, grip tightening on his all but forgotten school bag.

Roy blinked at him, seeming to think carefully before he spoke. “Is it your brother?”

Both Ed and the human turned to Roy with twin looks of astonishment.

“You know my brother?” “You know _his brother_?!”

Roy’s eyes went wide as the two blondes accosted him. His ashy wings flared uncertainly as he nervously straightened his robes.

“Not exactly.” He finally answered. “He was on trial when I was brought in. He did something very terrible –something an angel must never do.”

“What did he do?” The human asked, voice cracking at the end. Ed, though, was pretty sure he already had an idea. If he was right, then the kid would be right too. There’s nowhere his brother could be but in hell.

“He slayed a human.” Roy answered stiffly. “His charge’s own father. He had been a Guardian at the time, watching over a young girl named Nina. From what I heard after the fact, her father was neglectful in the best case, abusive in the worst.”

The human sucked in a breath, but Ed… Ed listened with a strange sort of detachment. He often worked with those who had been abusive in real life. He took such a personal joy in forcing their penance that other demons had often been scared of him.

The thought of a father laying hands on his own daughter… Ed’s blood boiled.

“However, no matter how much your brother wanted to do something about it, the laws prevented it. Angels are strictly forbidden from interfering with the human world.” Roy continued. “It came to a point one day, when her father killed Nina. I had just come to collect her soul –I was once a reaper –when her guardian appeared.”

“My brother…” the human’s voice was a mere whisper.

“I didn't even see his face.” Roy said, a little distraught. “He shouted at me and when I turned to look, he tackled me out of the air and stole my scythe. I only saw a flash of gold hair before he flew into the house. I sent out a distress call, thinking the angel had gone mad. I… afterwards, when I saw the father’s body, I knew the angel had broken a law.”

“So, that guy’s down here, right?” Ed asked, a tingle of fire in his gut. An insidious Wrath boiled in his blood.

“Yes,” Roy answered, “the angel was put on trial and found guilty of breaking the law. I was brought in as a witness, then as his replacement, since a reaper is technically a neutral party.”

Ed rolled his eyes. “Not the angel, bastard, the _father_.”

“The… father?” Roy shot him a bemused look.

“Yeah, that asshole down here? I’d have guessed so, but I can’t tell if he’s served his penance or not.” Ed said casually, _too_ casually. “Got a name? I can look him up.”

“Oh!” The human chimed in, “and my brother’s name? I need to find him down here. A name would be faster!”

“Not sure if that'll help, kid.” Ed huffed, scratching at his horns. _Man_ , were they itchy today! “Angels who come down here don't last long. Either they turn into demons, where they lose their memories, or they cease to exist altogether.”

“But we can still look through _my_ files for a picture, right?” The human pleaded. “He won't change physically, right?”

“Well, he might have horns or a tail or something…” Ed noted uncertainly. There was something niggling at the back of his mind, but no matter how much he tried, it wouldn't come to the forefront. “It's worth a shot, but he won't remember you. Angels have their memories erased when they become a demon. Are you sure you want to find him?”

“Definitely.” The boy said, jaw in a determined set. “If I don't now, I won't be able to for another century!”

“If you say so.” Ed shrugged. He glanced at Roy again before strutting over and plopping himself back down in front of the console. “What’s the name of the girl’s father? I want to have that search running in the background.”

“Shou Tucker.” Roy answered easily. “I know his soul went down here, but I'm not sure where it is now.”

“No biggie.” Ed replied, typing in the name and starting the search before pulling up the file from the last search. “So what’s the name of this brother of yours?”

The human looked at Roy, jaw set in that determined way of his.

“Edward.” Roy answered, eyes on Ed.

That niggling in the back if Ed’s mind was back.

“Edward?” The human repeated uncertainly. No, not uncertain, more like he was deciding how the name felt on his tongue.

That niggling had become an annoying buzz in Ed’s ear.

“Yes.” Roy answered the unspoken question, “Though he didn't often go by that.”

The buzzing was downright _irritating_! It made Ed want to claw out his own eyeballs. Did no one else hear it?

“From what you told me, he usually went by-!”

The demon dug his nails into the base of his itchy horns. Why did they have to pick today to act up!?

“Ed?” The human asked, concern lilting in his soft voice.

The demon paused from where his nails surrounded his horns, wet and sticky with blood. He yanked his hands away to stare at them with incomprehension. Crimson eyes glanced up to look for a rag or something to wipe them off.

There wasn't one.

Instead, Ed used the ends of his hair to clean up his fingers. It was already matted with blood, so adding more wouldn't hurt.

“Ed, are…” the human’s pause made the demon look up. Golden eyes looked down at him in concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why wouldn't I be?” Ed raised an eyebrow. The human looked pointedly at his blood-drenched hair. Ed rolled his eyes. “My horns are just itchy. They’re growing.”

“I have been here countless times, and I have never seen something like this.” Roy noted with a mite of concern. “Riza said you’re new?”

“Yeah,” Ed replied with a shrug. “Last decade or two. I don't know, years kind of pass wonky down here.”

“Alphonse,” Roy looked at the human as Ed snuck a hand up to scratch again. “How old were you when you died in the human realm?”

“Um…” the look on the kid’s face meant he had to concentrate harder than before. His memories must have been coming back. “19? I think?”

“And you filed for a human term as soon as your brother’s verdict was announced.” Roy muttered more to himself than the brothers. “Right around the time that Ed here appeared in Hell.”

Crimson eyes narrowed in warning. “What are you saying?”

“I believe,” Roy started, crossing his arms and shooting Ed a pointed look. “That you, Ed, are Alphonse's brother, cast out of Heaven for your deeds against a human.”

“That…” Ed frowned, brow furrowed, “That’s impossible! I… I can’t have-!”

“It makes sense, doesn't it?” Roy asked, a delicate eyebrow raised. “You appearing right at the same time as Alphonse’s brother disappearing could be coincidence, but you have a rather specific target to your Wrath. You were very insistent on knowing the name of Nina’s father.”

“I-!” Ed bit his lip, thinking back to his insistence to know the father’s name. The blonde thought it was natural for demons to have targets like that, but the way other demons looked at him during a Rage… Ed swallowed thickly, tugging at his hair in thought.

“Besides, that would explain the scars on you back.” Roy shrugged his shoulders. “They are exactly where a pair of wings would be, were you an angel.”

… Ed had scars on his back?

The demon craned his head around, trying to see what Roy was talking about as the human turned to the angel, “But how can we be sure he’s my brother? What if he’s just… some _other_ angel that got cast down? I don’t remember what he looks like, _yet_ if you’re telling the truth, and I won’t know until quite some time down the road, and then I’ll have to go through this whole thing all over again!”

Ed strained further, but apparently he wasn’t as flexible as he thought because he couldn’t see a smidge of scars. He’s pretty sure that if he tried any harder, he’d pull a muscle.

“There’s a very simple test we can do.” Roy said to the human. He looked at the demon. “Ed.”

The blonde looked up, straightening with a questioning look. Roy pointed to the human.

“What is his name?” Roy asked.

“Um…” Ed’s brow furrowed as he thought.

“How’s this going to solve anything?” the teen demanded with a frown, “He’s used my name to look up tons of things!”

“Please be quiet.” Roy ordered gently, eyes still on Ed. Those piercing eyes pinned Ed in place and made him fidgety. If this were a different situation and place (like, say, a _bedroom_ ) Ed would have no qualms about those dark eyes drinking in his form.

As it was it was just weird.

“Ed,” Roy gently reminded him. “His name?”

“I…” Ed swallowed, trying to think back. The kid was right, Ed had used his name multiple times, first at his desk to look up the boy’s death, then again at the Database console in order to try and find the fledgling’s brother. He’d seen it plastered all over holoscreens and had the damned thing bookmarked on that video to watch later, but…

He was drawing a blank.

“I…” his horns were itching again, “I don’t know.”

“What?” the human baulked.

“I don’t remember.” Ed winced. He was usually better about these kinds of things. So much so that he still called Teacher ‘Teacher’ even though she’d told him her name (Izumi) a long time ago in an effort to get him to stop. She didn’t try very hard.

“And that’s your proof.” Roy answered.

“Proof?” the human squawked. “That just means that he wasn’t paying attention!”

“Ed, what is my name?” the angel asked instead.

Well, _that_ was an easy one. “Roy.”

“And you heard it only when Hawkeye spoke with me, correct?” the angel questioned.

“Well, on the phone from Teacher too, but I thought ‘Roy’ was some kind of advanced weaponry or something.” Ed answered as he dug dried blood from beneath his nails. His horns had stopped itching for the moment. Maybe if he ignored it, they would stop?

The angel’s wings fluttered in pride, causing Roy to look back, miffed. The demon smirked. Looks like someone was used to having better control over his emotions. He’d learn in time.

“That would make twice that you heard it, correct?” Roy confirmed. “And you haven’t written it down or typed it out at all?”

“Nope.” Ed said, popping the ‘p’.

“So, in fact, my name should be _harder_ to remember.” The angel said, looking to the human. “And yet, it’s _yours_ he can’t remember. What do you think that means?”

The boy was quiet, thinking. Ed was curious to hear his own conclusion. The demon, himself, knew there was no way he’d been an angel once. His bloodlust was too high and there was _no way_ he would be caught dead in such concealing robes. BDSM Friday was his favorite day, after all.

“You said, earlier,” the human started, golden eyes coming up to find Ed’s crimson ones. “That angels who become demons have their memories erased –that my brother wouldn’t recognize me.”

“Yeah?” Ed lifted an eyebrow.

“Can it…” the human paused, thinking his words over carefully, “Is it possible that whatever spell or power that did that, would _keep_ him from remembering me? Even after we met again?”

“I mean…” Ed scratched at his horns again, “Maybe? I’m not the right person to ask about this-!”

“The answer is yes.” Roy said, leaning against the doorframe. “It’s something that, as a Reaper, I picked up on. It’s actually in our handbook, come to think of it. I would have thought that you, Ed, wouldn’t have been able to remember me since you’d seen me when you committed your crime, but you didn’t technically ‘know’ me, so the ritual must have skipped right over that fact.”

“So, it was a complete waste to come down here.” The human looked like a kicked puppy –another thing that Ed was very against: animal abuse. Any and all abuse really, humans had it hard enough without their loved ones turning on them.

“Not necessarily.” Roy shrugged, “At least you know that your brother is safe and sound and that he didn’t disappear into the nothingness.”

“Was that what I was looking for?” the boy frowned, thinking hard.

“I’m not sure what you looking for when you filed for a human term.” Roy answered truthfully. “You never told me, so I can’t say for sure. If nothing else, you can always storm down here like I did.”

“Something tells me that’s against angel rules.” The fledgling gave Roy a sharp look.

The angel smirked. “Well, how am I supposed to know? My angel mentor left me alone for nearly twenty years. I’ve learned quite a few bad habits, I’m afraid.”

“Why do I suddenly feel like we’ll need a new alarm system?” Ed grumbled under his breath.

“I think we’ve spent enough time down here for now.” Roy said, looking at the clock in the bottom of the holoscreen. “We should be heading back before they send an _actual_ search party down.”

“Yes! Go!” Ed shooed them away. Before they could make it to the door, he jumped up with a shout, “Wait!”

The two turned back with questioning looks.

“Penance.” Ed stated, holding out the pen from earlier.

The human eyed the pen warily. “Couldn’t you make an exception for your brother?”

Ed grinned widely and jiggled the pen.

The boy looked to Roy, but the angel gave nothing away. The teen sighed before accepting the pen and uncapping it. He poised it over his palm, face pale.

“I’ve found through watching others that there are more sensitive nerves in the palm than in the back of the hand.” Ed noted, folding his hands behind his head. Yes, the nerves made those bastards scream more.

The fledgling gave him an unimpressed look before turning his hand over, swallowing thickly and pressing the point into a space between two knuckles. There was a spurt of blood and a pained noise from the human, but he kept on until he had finished his mission.

Ed blinked wide eyes at him. “I said you had to stab yourself, not go all the way through. You don’t do things by halves, do you?”

The look the kid sent him was absolutely scathing, so Ed thought of it as mission accomplished.

The boy removed the pen from his hand with a flourish and pointed it at the demon with a flick. “I will come back!” the boy said, jaw in a determined set.

Blood flicked onto Ed’s face from the pen. A drop fell onto his bottom lip, where his tongue darted out to lap it up.

Huh, angel blood tasted different from human blood. Ed gave Roy a considering look. The brunette stared back at him questioningly.

“Just make sure you guys call beforehand.” The demon said, scratching at his horns once more. “I don’t want everyone to sound the alarm again. It’s terrifyingly loud.”

“No promises.” Roy smirked and the human smiled before the two darted out the door.

Ed sighed. This would be an interesting eternity at the very least.

Right now, though, he had to get back to his counter before Teacher decided to arbitrarily add on years. Freakin’ interest!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm wondering if I should start a small series about this? I kind of like the idea, but I don't have a lot of scenarios planned. If anyone has a prompt, feel free to suggest it. I also have my other chapter fic in the works. My quarter is wrapping up, so I hope to have time to finish it soon.
> 
> You know what I count as 'critiques' by now. If not, I just won't post your comment. 
> 
> Hope everyone has a good Halloween planned!


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